@rose-dee wrote:
This thread seems to have gotten way off track into another back-and-forth discussion - I'd like to return to the original purpose. Kalvin, if you're still there (as per your post at the top of this thread), I have some specific questions about the GSP:
1) Are U.S. sellers given a completely free choice of whether to "opt in" to the GSP, and by that I mean also free of any consequences to them? I'm hearing that US sellers believe their accounts will be penalized (or even closed) by eBay if they don't "opt in", i.e. the GSP is mandatory.
>>>Yes, sellers are given a choice. For a time enrollment was tied to the new User Agreement; this was not the most popular move in the history of online shopping, to say the least. But the program is NOT mandatory and there is no penalty for opting out.
2) If the GSP is mandatory in the above sense, is it only mandatory for some sellers in some situations, or for all?
>>>See previous answer.
3) Once a US seller has "opted in", can they "opt out" without consequences?
>>>See answer to question #1
4) If US sellers can opt out, what steps must they take?
>>>To opt out of the GSP:
Go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences // Click the Show link to the right of the Shipping Preferences section // Click the Edit link to the right of Offer the Global Shipping Program // Click on the Opt Out button
5) If US sellers can opt out, can they opt out for all their listings at once or only on individual listings? Are there restrictions on when they can opt out, or on what type of listings they can opt out of? I had one poor seller tell me she felt trapped, since she could not "opt out" of the GSP for a particular item I wanted to bid on because there was already a bid on it. I passed the item up because the GSP charges (on a ca. $15 item) would have been roughly $30 US. Normal shipping for that item would be less than $10, and Canadian taxes nil.
>>>Sellers can opt in/out for specific items
6) I assume eBay has some sort of contractual arrangement with Pitney-Bowes. How much does eBay collect on each GSP transaction? Or has eBay been paid an up-front fee to run and promote the programme on its site?
>>>We have a partnership with PB as a service provider. As far as how much we are making or how this breaks down ... I have no idea. I can ask but I doubt I would get a straight answer ....
7) Does eBay have any specific plans to make the GSP completely transparent (i.e. all charges shown up front, based on buyer location) as well as optional, for both sellers and buyers alike? If so, would you please enumerate those plans? It might help to re-establish some confidence in eBay's bona fides toward its users on both sides of the border to know that steps are in place to address the biggest problems.
>>>I can tell you that the "t-word" (transparency) comes up a lot. And not always by me. eBay does realize that we didn't do a great job at the onset of the program. But I can tell you that steps are being taken to make things more transparent as well as more customizable. I know that might sound a little vague, but it can take a while to make changes to policies around here ....
I ask these questions not only as a concerned Canadian buyer, but also on behalf of US sellers, since I think the GSP is ultimately notgoing to benefit either. Canadian buyers will always feel it's an unfair money grab, and US sellers will resent their GSP buyers voicing such discontent via FB and DSRs. In fact I fear it will sour so many people -- buyers and sellers alike -- on the eBay experience that they may just not return.
Someone really needs to answer the above questions for all of us.
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